homemade dog food or kibble
Recipe: Homemade Kibble for Dogs
Most homemade dog food recipes you can find online or in books will make a moist recipe. If you would prefer to feed dry dog food, this homemade kibble for dogs is a great recipe to start with.
It's easy to make and healthy for most adult dogs.
Just be sure to touch base with your veterinarian before changing your pup's diet.
Making your own dog food gives you complete control over the ingredients used.
You don't need to worry about the safety of the ingredients in commercial kibble or the added artificial ingredients that could be dangerous to your dog.
Not only is this recipe healthy for your dog, it's easy to make.
I'm a working mother, so I understand how difficult it can be to make time to prepare food for your human family, let alone your furry children.
With proper preparation, homemade dog food doesn't need to be a time-consuming task.
I like to make recipes in advance and freeze them for use on days when I'm too busy to prepare a meal for my dogs.
I try to plan ahead for a day when I have a few hours free.
I make extra-large batches of this homemade kibble for dogs, and then I freeze it.
Sometimes, I freeze enough to feed my dogs for an entire month!
Homemade Kibble for Dogs Recipe
The longer you bake this food, the dryer it will be.
If you have a senior pet with dental problems or a dog that prefers a softer food, you can reduce the baking time to keep the kibble moist in the center.
Keep in mind that this food does not contain preservatives like traditional commercial kibble, so you'll need to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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This homemade kibble is easy to make and uses limited ingredients. It's a great option for dogs with food allergies or digestive sensitivities. Just be sure to check with your veterinarian before making any changes to your pet's diet.
- Author: Samantha Randall
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: about 10 cups of kibble 1x
- Category: Oven Baked Food
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: Dog Food
- 4 cups chicken
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 cups cooked sweet potato
- 2 cups cooked carrots
- 1 cup cooked green beans
- 1/21 cup flour
Preheat oven to 250F. Cook the chicken in whichever manner you'd like. I boiled it, but you could also bake it in the oven or prepare it in a slow cooker.
Put the cooked chicken and olive oil into a food processor. Puree the ingredients. Scrape the pureed chicken into a large mixing bowl, and set it aside.
Put the veggies in the food processor and puree. Scrape the pureed veggies into the same bowl as the chicken. Add 1/2 cup of flour and mixuntil it forms a dough consistency. If the dough is still very sticky, add another 1/2 cup of flour.
Roll the dough onto a cookie sheet and score it with a pizza cutter or knife. Bake for 2-3 hours. The kibble is done when it is brown and hardened on the outside.
Remove the kibble from the oven. Let the food stand for about 1 hour. This will allow for cooling and hardening, and then you'll be able to break it into kibble pieces.
As I mentioned, you'll have to store the kibble in an airtight container in the refrigerator. There are no preservatives in this recipe, so it will begin to grow mold in about 5-7 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 33 mg
- Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
How much to feed:I recommend feeding about 1/2 cup of food for every 20 pounds of body weight.
This recommendation is for 2 servings per day.
This is just a guideline.
Lazier pets and senior dogs may not need as many.
It is extremely important to consult your veterinarian about the best serving size for your dog.
How to store:You can store the leftover homemade kibble for dogs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or freeze them, and theyll keep for up to 3 months.
Remember that this recipe includes no preservatives; it won't last nearly as long as commercial dog food.
For More Information
We publish many homemade dog food and treat recipes every month.
For more recipes, pet food cooking tips, and advice, see our Recipes section.
If you're new to home-cooked dog food subject, I recommend you read more about How Much To Feed to understand serving sizes, What Supplements To Use to create well-balanced meals, and How To Store for tips on simple and easy homemade dog food storing in a fridge or a freezer.
How to Make Kibble for Dogs
Do you know that you CAN make dog kibble at home? Yes, you read that right. Not only is it possible to make homemade dry kibble, but it also gives you control over the ingredients list. A lot of commercial kibbles use artificial ingredients that are NOT healthy for dogs. Therefore, its highly recommended that you make kibble (at home) for your canine friend.
How to Make Dry Dog Food in Bulk?
In addition to the health benefits, homemade kibble is very easy to make. It is not a time-consuming process and the dog food you cook can be stored in the freezer. This gives you the liberty to make some extra-batches that can be used to feed your pet in the future. The following kibble recipe can also be used to treat a dog who is suffering from digestive issues.
NOTE: The mentioned quantities of ingredients are for 24treats. However, they can be increased if you need a bulk quantity of this drydog food.
Ingredients:
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oats (optional)
- 3 cups whole wheat flour, brown rice flour orgluten-free flour
- 3 tablespoons of peanut butter (make sure itsxylitol free)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, oats,and cinnamon.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together theeggs, pumpkin and peanut butter until combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry.
- Pour onto a floured surface and roll dough outto 1/2 thick. Cut out using a cookie cutter.
- The dough will be a little sticky, add a dustingof flour to your hands and the rolling pin to help. Bake for 30 to 35 minutesuntil golden brown.
- Place on cooling racks and let cool thoroughly.They will harden as they cool.
Thank you to Canine Journal for this recipe.
Dog Food Recipes that are Crunchy
Do you own a kibble-loving canine who is NOT fond of cooked rice, vegetables, and meat? If yes, then the following homemade crunchy dog foods are what you need.
Baked Kibble for Dogs
This basic kibble is generally added to cooked foods tocomplete a balanced meal for your dog. They provide the element of crunch thatyour pup needs in his/her food.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of flour
- 1 cup of powdered milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 2 cups of meat broth (or water)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Combine flour andpowdered milk in a bowl.
- In another bowl,combine eggs, oil, and meat broth.
- Mix wet and dryingredients to create a thick dough similar to bread.
- Spread the doughonto a cookie sheet. The thickness ( to inch) of the dough will depend onthe size of your dog.
- Using a pizzacutter or knife, lightly cut the desired kibble sizes into the dough but do notgo all the way through. This will make it easier to break it into kibble pieceswhen cooking is complete.
- Place in the ovenfor about one hour. The dough should be brown and beginning to harden.
- Remove and allowcooling and hardening.
- Break kibble intodesired pieces. Place into an airtight container until feeding time.
Thank you to Daily Puppy for this recipe.
Homemade Dry Dog Kibble
This hypoallergenic recipe is excellent for dogs who have ahistory of food allergies. It is free from wheat and uses turkey that isdigestible for canines that are allergic to usual protein sources. Likewise,this kibble has all the essential nutrients because it contains a range ofvegetables, grains, and meat.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup and 1 tablespoon (200 g) brown rice
- cup (100 g) lentils
- 5 cups (1 liters) water
- 3 medium carrots (200 g), peeled and chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato (200 g), scrubbed andchopped
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped, or cup(100 g) unsweetened applesauce
- cup (100 g) steel-cut oats
- 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 cups (500 g) ground turkey, about 18 ounces
- cup (50 ml) olive, sunflower or canola oil,plus additional oil for greasing
Directions
- Put the rice andlentils into a saucepan and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, then reducethe heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.
- Once the rice andlentils are cooked, add the chopped carrots, sweet potato, and apple to thesaucepan. Stir in the oats and chopped herbs and gently simmer for 20 minutesmore. Add an extra cup of water if the mixture is too dry. Preheat the oven to350F/180C.
- Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey in a separatefrying pan. You will need to keep stirring it while it is cooking to prevent itfrom sticking to the pan as it is very low in fat. It will take about 10minutes to cook through.
- Put half the cooked vegetable and grain mixtureinto a food processor with half the cooked turkey, add half the oil and pulseuntil the mixture resembles a thick pure.
- Grease 2 cookie sheets and spread the mixtureonto one of the sheets so that it is about inch (5 mm) thick. The mixturewill spread slightly so leave a bit of room for this. The mixture mustnt betoo thick because it will prohibit the kibble from cooking through.
- Repeat as above using the second cookie sheetand the remaining ingredients.
- Place both cookie sheets into the preheated ovenand bake for 45 minutes. Turn the kibble over so that it dries through, andcook for another 30 to 45 minutes. You should have what looks like two verylarge cookies. Make sure the kibble is completely cooked through, as any moistbits will get moldy after a couple of days. If it is not fully dried out, leaveit in the oven for 20 minutes more.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325F/160C.Remove the kibble cookies from the oven, cool slightly and cut them intosmall pieces. Place the pieces back onto the cookie sheets and bake for anadditional hour, or until the kibble is completely dried (but not burnt).
- Remove the kibble from the oven and let coolcompletely. It should resemble pieces of broken pita bread. It will keep in thefridge for 10 days.
Thank you to The Bark for this recipe.
Homemade Recipe for Dry Dog Food
Making your dog food allows you to cater to your petspreferences. Similarly, you can substitute the ingredients that could beharmful to your pup. The following recipe will make tasty dry kibble for yourdog in no time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, beef, chicken or pork
- 1 teaspoon oil for greasing pan
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup dry milk powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups water or beef/chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked vegetables, finely chopped orpureed
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In the skillet,cook the ground meat until browned. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and milkpowder.
- In a smaller bowl, beat together the eggs,vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, and broth.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the flourmixture and mix well. Stir in the ground meat and vegetables.
- Spread the dough mixture onto the cookie sheetat 1/2-inch thickness. If needed, use a second cookie sheet.
- Using the knife or pizza cutter, score the doughinto bite-sized pieces. Place in the oven and bake for one to two hours.
- Turn off the oven and let cool for one to twohours. Remove from the oven and break on the score marks.
- Store the food in an airtight container in therefrigerator for three days. Freeze for up to three months.
Thank you to The Nest for this recipe.
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